Air distributing units



Dec. 20, 1955 w. c. JONES AIR DISTRIBUTING UNITS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed OCl'.. l, 1951 Q mm :am k

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'2,121,454 d AIR Dlsrkniu-T'nse USMS-1 C' 101195 house Electric Corporatiqn, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of PennsyllrailiaV k d y Apnlican Octobenl, 19551., Strains-amis 1;

This invention relatestoair dstributingunitsfsuchas are used in air conditioning rsystems for supplying. heated ai'r or fchiued ai; or a mnsireorheaaane chilled ai; as required, at local distributing points?.` Y

Air distributing units embodying this, invention are for use in individual ,rooms or otherremote ,locationgforref ceiving heated and chilled air suppliedthrough separate ducts from a central air conditieiner..A Each-unitpperates tn siupply. chilled air only-heated air only'or-a mixture of heated and chilled air, as required for maintaining a desired temperature withinthe space served byrv the unit.

A feature of this invention yisthat a Yplenum chamber is provided at one end of afunitdfo'r .the reception of heated air, another plenumwchamben,isjprovided atthe other end ofthe unit forthe receptiontolf chilleddair, the irmr 'ends 0f th. Plena@ Chambers being Spassqlnart arid .Provided `wifh aliased .airpitlet ppeninss, misinteroinefed dampers'. are. A1110x3121@..i11,.,.the .Space bfstviathe pl'eiui, hm for, Simultaaappsly @Peiling .on 0f .th orlf 'reiiigs aid .clgsins th @ther-@isha Cutie. in'g's, the ,damien ,baies .de si ,t :Previde afgestapt Volume ofair kthrough theu settings. w.. ,A

Another feature of this invention isthe provision of an elongated air mixing..,charnber abovemthe twoppleum chambers and the space therebetween, and the provision of a labryinth of sound absorbing material in the mixing chamber for absorbing sound in the air owing to an upper discharge outlet, and for offering resistance to the air flow for reducing its velocity.

An object of this invention is to provide proper mixing of two streams of air having diierent temperatures for supply at a constant volume into a conditioned space.

Another object of the invention is to reduce noise in the air discharged from an air distributing unit.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of an air distributing unit embodying this invention, and

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partially in section, of the unit.

The unit illustrated comprises a relatively long, relatively tall and relatively narrow sheet metal casing having an inlet 11 for heated air in one end of its lower portion, and having an inlet 12 for chilled air in the opposite end of its lower portion. The inlets 11 and 12 are adapted to be connected to ducts which convey heated and chilled air from a central conditioner which may be located in the basement or on the roof of a building.

The unit has a relatively long and relatively narrow slot 13 in its upper wall forming an air discharge outlet, and has the adjustable vanes 14 below the slot for adjusting the velocity and volume of the air discharge from the unit.

The unit when installed in a room of a building, would have the enclosure 16 of sound insulating material therearound, and which would have the air outlet 17 above the slot 13.

States atent 2,727,454 Patented:Demv 20,1 1955 The airinlet 12 ldischarges* into the plenumchamber- 18 which hasanfair outlet 19. The air inlet 11 discharges intothe .plenum chamber20 which has the air outlet 21. The plenum chambersAlS and 20 are at the opposite ends ofthe unit, and their air outlets 19 and 21 respectively, are in horizontal alignment and are spaced apart.

The parabolic dampers 22 and 23 arelocated within the space between the outlets 19 and 21. The damper 22 is attached to the inner end of the rod 24 which extends through the sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 is attached to the damper. 23.v The rod 24 is attached to the sleeve 25 through the nut 33 which is threaded on the rod being brazed to the outer end of the sleeve. The outer end of thefrod 24 is attached to the inner end ofthe pivoted lever 26, the outer end ofV which is attached to the lever 27 which is Vpivoted at 28 to the U-shaped member `29. The. lever 27 is `also attached to the threaded rod which is pivoted to the threaded portion 31 of the air cylinder 32 which is connected to a compressed air line 42 under control of the room thermostat T which varies the volume of compressed air bled lfrom the bleed portA 43 in the line 42. The air cylinder 32 is a conventional Pneumatic DampenMotor such as is manufactured by Vthe Johnson Servicev Co. which l'may also manufacture the thermostat T and the line 42 with the bleed portA 43. The cylinder 32 contains apisto'n which is not shown, which is moved downwardlyy by air pressure against the resistance of a coiled spring which is notshown. The line 42 is connected to a conventionaljsource of compressed air which is .not shown. Upon an .increase in room temperature, the thermostat T will move nearer the bleed port 43, decreasing the volume of air bled therethrough. This will cause an increase inthe air pressure against the piston in the cylinder. .32, causing the piston to be moved downwardly, moving the upperv end of the lever 27 downwardly, causing theA lowery end of the lever to move outwardly and upwardly. This wil cause the rod -24 and sleeve 25 to which the dampers 22 and -23 respectively, are attached, to move outwardly, causing the hot air damper 23 to move towards closed position, and the cold air damper 22 to move towards open position.

The positions of the dampers thus depend upon the volume of air bled from the bleed port 43, which volume, in turn, depends upon the position of the thermostat relative the bleed port. A reduction in room temperature will cause the thermostat to move away from the bleed port permitting more air to be bled therefrom and causing a reduction in the air pressure against the piston in the cylinder 32. The spring in the cylinder will move the piston upwardly, causing the rod 24 and sleeve 25 to move inwardly so as to cause the hot air damper 23 to move towards open position and the cold air damper 22 to move towards closed position.

The nut 33 which is threaded on the rod 24 adjacent the outer end of the sleeve 25 can be adjusted for varying the position of the damper 22 relative the damper 23. By backing ott the locknut 44 and screwing the nut 33 forwardly on the threaded rod 24, the sleeve 25 can be moved inwardly so as to move the damper 23 nearer the damper 22. By backing oli the nut 33, the damper 23 can be moved away from the damper 22. The movement of the two dampers as a unit can be adjusted by connecting the outer end of the lever 26 to the one of the pivot points 35 which suits, and by adjusting the nuts 36 and 37 on the rods 31 and 30 respectively.

The rod 24 is supported between the dampers 22 and 23 by the bearing 3S which is attached to the angle 39 the ends of which are secured to opposite sides of the unit.

The dampers 22 and 23 and their associated outlets 19 and 21 respectively, are so designed that as one outlet is closed, the other is opened the same amount so that the total volume of air Apassed through the unit is always constant, this assuring that there is a uniform increase in the air from one outlet and a uniform decrease in the air from the other outlet as the control cylinder is modulated.

The boards 40 of conventional sound insulating material are attached to the ends of the unit and form a labyrinthpassage through which the air passing the dampers 22 and 23 moves in a zig-zag path. This causes the sound in the air to be absorbed and the velocity of the air to be reduced.

In operation, the high velocity air under substantial pressure from a central conditioner is supplied into the plenum chambers 18 and 20 where it expands and has its velocity reduced.' The room thermostat T would determine whether or not heated air or chilled air or a mixture of the two would be supplied by the unit. The air passing the dampers expands further into the space occupied by the sound absorbing boards 40 where it has its velocity further reduced both by expansion and by the resistance oiered by the tortuous passage through the sound absorber. The air is then discharged into the room through the outlet 17 with substantially less velocity and sound content than when it entered the unit.

In winter, one of the air streams would be heated and the other unheated or heated suiciently to avoid freezing temperatures.

In summer, one of the air streams would be chilled by refrigeration, and the other would normally be outdoor air untreated except possibly by cleaning,

However, during border-line months at the beginning of summer and the end of summer, rooms at the shaded side of a building may require heating while those at the sunny side ofthe building may require cooling at the same time so that at times heated and chilled air may simultaneously be supplied to the air distributing units of such a building.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be under- 1L. A11-Jair 'distributing unit comprising a relatively long Y and relativelynarrowcasing, means including the bottom and one end of said casing =forming a relatively large cold air plenum chamber extending a substantial distance into said casing, means including the bottom and the opposite end of said casing forming a relatively large warm air plenum chamber extending a substantial distance into said casing, said chambers having relatively small air inlets and having spaced apart inner rwalls having aligned, relatively small air outlets having a common axis therein, a pair of dampers movable within the space between said inner walls for opening and closing said outlets, said casing having a warm and cool air mixing chamber exf tending the length and width thereof above said plenum chambers, and having an air voutlet above said mixing chamber, and means including means interconnecting said dampers for simultaneously moving said dampers along said axis. V

2. An air distributing unit as claimed in claim I in which the means for moving the dampers includes a rod connected toone of the dampers and extending through one of said chambers andone of the end walls of said casing, anda sleeve Vconnected to the other damper and t extending around and attached to the rod.

stood that the invention is not limited to the exact apparatus and arrangement of apparatus illustrated since modifications thereof may be suggested by those skilled in the art without departure from the essence of the invention.

What I claim as my invention, is:

3. An air distributing unit as claimed in claim 2 in which means is provided for adjusting the position of said sleeve along saidrod for varying the spacing between said dampers.

References Cited n the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 737,273 Reynolds Aug. 25, 1903 1,435,361 Wilputte Nov. 14, 1922 1,915,994 Harnett June 27, 1933 1,919,625 Ewald July 25, 1933 1,921,092 Newton Aug. 8, 1933 1,927,869 Downs Sept. 26, 1933 2,157,307 Savage May 9, 1939 2,161,438 Terry June 6, 1939 2,176,319 Anderson Oct. 17, 1939 Y FOREIGN PATENTS Australia n July 11, 1941 

